University-educated (he holds degrees in law and economics) Coach Pat Quinn was asked numerous questions about his coaching style during the 2002 Eastern Conference Final. The questions and answers are recorded for us via the magic of ASAPSports, and in the absence of actual off-season movement may be of interest to Oilers fans. Also of some interest is the excellent Stromboulopoulos interview above.

I’ve snagged a few exchanges that intrigued me the most, starting with the ASAP Sports information and than moving to the Stromboulopoulos interview.

Q. How much has the style of play changed having to accommodate a different lineup than having all of your guys healthy?
COACH QUINN: Not a lot. We have, roughly, a system, a style of play. I've always liked to believe that I am not a demander; that you must be at Place X at a certain time. The system won't control us. I'd like to think I allow the players to control their system. So when players come in, they have some freedoms. Less defensively when we lose the puck; maybe that's why we've had some trouble because guys might confuse that freedom from offense to defense and think that they could have it all the time. But we are supposed to be a little more disciplined within our system of play and rely on others to do certain things at certain times when we don't have the puck as for when we have the puck than when we do have the puck. Primarily we have not changed very much. I might have done a little line matching a little bit that I don't do during the regular season, but philosophically, we have taken the same approach.

A few points (and feel free to add others in the comments):

Quinn did emphasize a system with the Maple Leafs; however, that system was flexible and allowed room for offensive creativity.

That said, this wasn’t some loosy-goosey stand-at-the-opposition-blueline system; players had defensive responsibilities and Quinn – like every other NHL coach – had requirements of his players, especially in their own end.

Line matching, as has been noted on this site before (by Jason Gregor in particular) is not something Quinn is dogmatic about, although he isn’t exactly averse to using it on occasion either.

I think Quinn comes across well here; he allows individual creativity offensively but has a more structured setup defensively and on the surface that just sounds like a good combination. In practice, Quinn’s Leafs weren’t always responsible without the puck (something that he notes above) but if it results in enough offense that’s a trade-off worth making.

Q. Your perspective on a couple of these games has been a little bit different. Do you see anything different from the bench, seeing a guy like Bryan McCabe, just your impressions of how he's evolved?
COACH QUINN: We watch the TVs a second and third time. When you are behind the bench you watch it for the first time from there, and then you see it again and again. All I did there was avoid or miss watching it from behind the bench. I've seen it from that angle a lot. And no, it doesn't show you anything different, except that the TV commentators and the analysts pick up on some things that are sometimes insightful, and sometimes they create stuff that doesn't mean anything. They are trying to put a story out there, too.

Again, my thoughts:

Quinn reviews game tapes. That’s hardly exceptional among NHL coaches, but the one thing that I do like is his humility; he acknowledges getting insights from some of the TV commentators.

Of course the other thing Quinn (fairly) points out is that commentators are often trying to create a narrative, and sometimes the things they focus on aren’t particularly useful.

Q. Losing at home in Game 4, winning on the road in Game 5, can you take the temperature of your team?
COACH QUINN: We've been around long enough to know that you can play better than a team on the other side in a lot of areas and lose the hockey game; that they may be sitting there feeling the same thing after Game 5 down there. Game 4 is probably statistically, territorially, chance-wise, probably a game we should have won. Didn't happen. But that's all stuff that we can't control anymore. The only thing we can try and do is control ourselves to be ready enough to play tomorrow night. And in control, not just control ourselves. We need to be playing on that right edge for us to be successful.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Corsi here. People tend to forget that most of the stats used around the internet were either inspired or created by NHL coaches. Whether Pat Quinn is referring to that specific statistic or not, he does talk about the territorial advantage his team had – exactly what Corsi strives to measure. The simple fact of the matter is that teams who play more in the opposition end generally win more games.

Quinn also talks about scoring chances – something that he mentions from time to time and quite clearly keeps track of. This past winter Dennis (an occasional commenter here) tracked scoring chances for all Oilers games, and the final tally for every player is posted here. It’s useful stuff, and unsurprisingly says a lot of the same things that Corsi does.

Q. You talked earlier about not creating enough room for yourself, and only scoring six goals in the series, is that more of a comment on the style of hockey in the playoffs, or do you look at it and say, not enough skill?
COACH QUINN: I think a lot of it has to do -- you know what, you can beat any style, if you get your guys sticking with it. One of our problems is when you get to the playoffs and you want to change to beat a style, you don't have the practice time. Your guys are so hurt you can't get on the ice. So you can't change things. You might talk on the chalkboard, but this game is one of the games that it takes time to get used to a change, like a golf swing or whatever it is. When you're changing your system, it's not just drawing on the board, you have to have guys practice through it so it becomes second nature so they are not standing out there thinking what am I supposed to do now, where am I supposed to do, what did the coach say this morning. That's the worst part before about the playoffs. That's why you try to change things through the season so your team might have that adaptability I think when it's necessary to have it. All these guys did, very much the same as we played in the other series, they were less aggressive to put pressure on us, but we didn't handle it as well as we did the other two series. So, a lot of it was us. It was frustrating, and as I said, half of their job of checking us was done by us; and in that, we often stood up where we were easily checkable, we were stand-still especially on the wings, a stand-still hockey club. And that's what that style they use forces you to do, stand still. It's the trap, or the 1-2-2 is a stand-still style of play. It still works. Obviously it works. It beat us. Jersey has won two Cups using it. Dallas who will bore to you death has won a Cup. It's good stuff. We try to use it, except we have not got the discipline to stick with it sometimes. But, there's ways to break it. We just could not seem to stick with it. We had periods of it. Start of our game tonight was good. Start of the overtime was good. We got a lot of room then, but we had to create it. We got back and used it, the defense. Your defense, you really have to skate, that's really a key. So, it's not just talent. I've always felt our team is a pretty skilled team. You guys don't need a course on hockey. There's reason to celebrate someplace, but not for me.

That quote came right after the series loss to Carolina. It’s interesting for a lot of reasons, but in particular I keyed in on the following:

Pat Quinn is not foolish enough to believe that defensive hockey doesn’t win games. He’s used the 1-2-2 (or if you prefer, the trap) at times and strongly believes in ingrained versatility.

The point about practices in the playoffs is a good one. Fine-tuning may be possible, but the game plan already needs to exist, and players must already have the needed knowledge to execute a variety of systems.

Quinn talks about beating the trap, and he’s absolutely right that there are ways to do it, but playing against a strong system requires forethought and an offensive system that can get through the neutral zone.

Quinn’s going to love the blue-line he’s inherited. He has three legitimate speedsters on the back end (in Visnovsky, Gilbert and Grebeshkov) and combination is actually more mobile than the team he had in 2002. It’s also worth noting that Pat Quinn had good success with Bryan McCabe in Toronto, and that Sheldon Souray shares some basic stylistic points with McCabe (although I believe Souray to be the better player).

Q: Do you ever send a guy out there to beat somebody up… how does a coach handle that?
COACH QUINN: I’ve never liked that. I’ve always said, in my mind, I’ll keep you on the bench if you learn how to play - I won’t keep you on the bench – but you’ll be a part of my team if you can learn how to play.
Q: You had Tie Domi right, who a lot of people thought was a goon…
COACH QUINN: The first thing I said to Tie when I came to Toronto was ‘Tie, I know you’re a tough guy and a fighter – if you learn how to play and show me you can play hockey then you can stay on the Toronto team. But if you’re just going to put on a show and go out there every once in a while, then I don’t want you.’

Two simple points:

I completely agree. I’m not a fan of the designated goon; if a player can’t take a regular shift on the fourth line he doesn’t belong on the bench.

Steve MacIntyre’s days with this team aren’t necessarily numbered, but it would take a miracle at this point for him to turn into a regular fourth line player. I don’t think he makes the opening night roster.

Finally - and it’s a bit of a side point – the explanation of Quinn’s history with Bobby Orr towards the interview is great stuff. The next time some old-timer talks about how all the visor-wearing stick-work types are destroying the game and how all the players in previous era respected each other, remember Quinn talking about getting kicked in the gut by Bobby Orr. The game is, if anything, cleaner now than it has been at any point since the NHL’s inception.

Jonathan Willis is a freelance writer.
He currently works for Oilers Nation, Sportsnet and Bleacher Report.
He's co-written three books and worked for myriad websites, including the Edmonton Journal, Grantland, ESPN, The Score, and Hockey Prospectus. He was previously the founder and managing editor of Copper & Blue.

Great post JW. I can't wait to see what he can do with this Oiler team. Watching the Oilers constantly get out chanced last year was frustrating, lets hope his style loans itself to seeing our talented guys in the offensive zone.

Steve MacIntyre’s days with this team aren’t necessarily numbered, but it would take a miracle at this point for him to turn into a regular fourth line player

What are you talking about? He has the best shooting % on the team! If that isn't success I don't know what is!

heh, seriously though, if all we see him is in Calgary games I am fine with that. Stortini has evolved into someone who isnt a strong liability on the ice and has lost alot of his huggy-bear persona (which c'mon, he was a kid expected to go toe to toe with men - young enforcers generally don't throw haymakers; even though the dude kind of looks like my grandfather he still is younger than me). That coupled with Souray's toughness and Moreau rage at any slight his team receives should shore us up for violent toughness, we just need in game toughness now like hitting/board play.

@ Hemsky=AWESOME:
Im glad hes gone, his cap hit is insane. Last year he had 59 pts. If we kept him we sure as hell wouldn't have signed Souray - 53 pts. Ill take the 53 pt defensemen for less a mil cap hit.

I'm surprised at the Rangers; Sather's letting a useful asset go for nothing, and at the very least I would have thought some sort of trade could be managed (unless no GM out there thinks his deal is decent value).

Charlie wrote:
JW,
A little off topic, but what are your thoughts on Zherdev today?
I’m surprised at the Rangers; Sather’s letting a useful asset go for nothing, and at the very least I would have thought some sort of trade could be managed (unless no GM out there thinks his deal is decent value).
I also think there’s little chance Edmonton pursues him.

There is NO chance Edmonton pursues him. None. Zero. Nada. Crybaby. Cancer. Whiner. Should be a sports writer.

That was an excellent read JW. Between Renney and Quinn our local reporters will be getting some great quotes this coming season. Also, if Quinn isn't interested in a straight up tough guy then I agree, MacIntyre is going to be placed on waivers. The good news is that Quinn might be able to turn Stortini into a fantastic 3rd liner/fighter/super pest.

Although I hold pretty much the same sentiments as the vast majority of your regular Oiler fan in as much as wanting the big shake up to transpire over the off-season, I have become akin to letting the Coaching Staff get a shot at what we have. Lets face it, do we have much of a choice in the matter?

As for the latest overpaid whiner that Slats has let go, I certainly would not want him on this team that has it's share of melcontents. Maybe big mouth Bourke and the Maple Laughs will go for him........

Jonathan Willis wrote:
Charlie wrote:
JW,
A little off topic, but what are your thoughts on Zherdev today?
I’m surprised at the Rangers; Sather’s letting a useful asset go for nothing, and at the very least I would have thought some sort of trade could be managed (unless no GM out there thinks his deal is decent value).
I also think there’s little chance Edmonton pursues him.
There is NO chance Edmonton pursues him. None. Zero. Nada. Crybaby. Cancer. Whiner. Should be a sports writer.

I read that Renney doesn't like him. We won't be after him. Tambo also said "We've got a team that we're looking forward to seeing in September." so I think were probably done for the summer as far as aquiring new players.

That’s fine work JW. Should be interesting to see how differently we play with Mact gone.

Agreed -- I'm pretty excited for the new season. By all accounts it looks like the team's style of play will change. I am actually looking forward to seeing this same lineup start the season (minus Staios, the Oilers one man version of the Keystone cops), especially Penner since I can't wait to see what role he's put into and how well he lives up to it.

Powers
The Vision possesses complete control over his density, and so is able to render himself intangible or extraordinarily massive and diamond-hard at will. He can partially materialize within another person, causing his victim extreme pain. The solar cell on the Vision's forehead emits beams of infrared and microwave radiation, with temperatures ranging from 500 to 30,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Elusive, but incredibly tough at times. Materializes in enemy territory to cause pain. A heat ray that does damage from a distance... Sounds like Lubo to me.

As for your comments about defensive hockey and the trap. Aside from having a lead late in the third and playoffs, the trap is pretty much dead. This interview was in 2002, in the new NHL the threat of minor penalties alone mitigates the trap.

@ Robin Brownlee:
I think the fact we have too many bodies will be the biggest hold up. I don't believe we should disregard talent based on attitude problems in the past. It is firmly in the coaches hands to deal with that and get the players playing, if as a GM you shy away from picking up a player because you believe your coaches cannot handle him, well it is then time to reassess your coaching situation.

That and we can do the whole Ottawa/Kovalev thing and claim he isn't a malcontent and praise his dressing room persona with no evidence supporting us.

Does anyone have Zherdev's career stats? He is a goal scorer rather than a play maker is he not? I know he has a bad rep as a whiner, but we're desperate at this point! He's got sick hands, I say why the f%$k not.

@ Oilersordeath:
hxxp://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=70844
His stats, now thats just lazy making me google for you heh.

NHL Totals GP365 G99 A140 PTS 239

However 27-10-26-23 goals in last 4 seasons. The 10 was under Hitchcock and was the season Zherdev fully got his reputation. But 61-58 pts over last 2 seasons would make him one of our top players. I'll take it.

@ Robin Brownlee:
Hemsky had a press conference where he complained last year. Should we now trade this whiner?

@ Robin Brownlee:
I think the fact we have too many bodies will be the biggest hold up. I don’t believe we should disregard talent based on attitude problems in the past. It is firmly in the coaches hands to deal with that and get the players playing, if as a GM you shy away from picking up a player because you believe your coaches cannot handle him, well it is then time to reassess your coaching situation.
That and we can do the whole Ottawa/Kovalev thing and claim he isn’t a malcontent and praise his dressing room persona with no evidence supporting us.

This "too many bodies" is a lame excuse. If the team is actually forgoing someone that they are confident will help because they are afraid to part ways with a Nilsson or MAP then we are in alot bigger mess then people realize.

@ Robin Brownlee:
I agree withn you and they asked Renney what they thought of him and he probably said to forget it. Do you think the Oilers will make a trade before the season starts or are we really going into camp with the same team as last year?

@ Ogden Brother:
Agreed, but until I see us bury a player in the minors I won't believe it. Nilsson is a 10 goal scorer for 2 million, if we cant trade him for pick (which listening to Tambo's conference I think there are better players available for picks than Nilsson) we should not let his salary get in the way of picking up a piece to make this team better. Waive/minors. I think Katz is willing to say "I will do what it takes to get Heatley" and if burying salary was needed then, we may see it. But due to the fact we have done nothing I do not think he is willing to sink 2 mil in the minors to make us slightly better.

Yes trade hemsky. I have been writing this all summer. With hemsky and cogs as trade bait we maybe able to get a goal scorer.I love hemmers skill but he has no thrill. He has never scored over 25 goals, if horcoff can't score and penner can't score and guess what hemsky can't score. Horcoff and penner have bad contracts and bad years no obe wants them ( including us) Hemsky is only 4.6m a year for four or five more years. TRADE BAIT
Your thoughts

[...] Random Feed wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptAug411:10 am Jonathan Willis University-educated (he holds degrees in law and economics) Coach Pat Quinn was asked numerous questions about his coaching style during the 2002 Eastern Conference Final. The questions and answers are recorded for us via the magic of ASAPSports, and in the absence of actual off-season movement may be of interest to Oilers fans. Also of some interest is the excellent Stromboulopoulos interview above.I’ve snagged a few exchanges that intrigued me the most, starting wi [...]

@ oilers123:
Retarded. He is our most skilled player for a steal of a deal for 3 more years, why on earth would you trade that?? Who is available right now that can fill the void left by Hemsky being traded?

Yes trade hemsky. I have been writing this all summer. With hemsky and cogs as trade bait we maybe able to get a goal scorer.I love hemmers skill but he has no thrill. He has never scored over 25 goals, if horcoff can’t score and penner can’t score and guess what hemsky can’t score. Horcoff and penner have bad contracts and bad years no obe wants them ( including us) Hemsky is only 4.6m a year for four or five more years. TRADE BAIT
Your thoughts

Gagne fills the spot gives room for marc savard and kessel trade. I would hate to miss hemsky skate around the net and give the puck up at the blue line then call out the team cause he can't do anything.

Its funny everyone calls me a retard. The oilers haven't cleaned house. Pat quinn has never won anything same as renney ( minus the world juniors on a staked team ). Four years of trying to get Hemsky to shoot the puck for 23 goals does nothing on 5on5. He is just like Ryan Smyth ( only good in oil fans eyes or sound I say heads). As soon as I seen hemmer whine to the media down the stretch I lost faith in him and his potential( getting old)
So Eff you guys then

Does anyone know if MacIntyre has been working on improving his game this off season? I would think now that he has had a taste of the big leagues he would be in no hurry to go back to the minors. If that isnt motivation to try and improve I dont know what is, now he also has the benefit of NHL trainers to work with.

NYI never give him an offer at UFA
Col dumped him fast
L A is stuck with him ( next year will try hard to dump him)
I like hemskys contract but also kniw Nilson penner horcoff will not get us any trades
Think about it. We need goals 5-5 not just the PP, with this team we will be lucky to get a power play

Yes trade hemsky. I have been writing this all summer. With hemsky and cogs as trade bait we maybe able to get a goal scorer.I love hemmers skill but he has no thrill. He has never scored over 25 goals, if horcoff can’t score and penner can’t score and guess what hemsky can’t score. Horcoff and penner have bad contracts and bad years no obe wants them ( including us) Hemsky is only 4.6m a year for four or five more years. TRADE BAIT
Your thoughts

Your an idiot Hemmer is not the problem on this team lay off him and 5on5 goals were not our problem last year I think I heard somewhere that we had 5 less 5on5 goals than San Jose last year where did you get your hockey knowledge

Yes trade hemsky. I have been writing this all summer. With hemsky and cogs as trade bait we maybe able to get a goal scorer.I love hemmers skill but he has no thrill. He has never scored over 25 goals, if horcoff can’t score and penner can’t score and guess what hemsky can’t score. Horcoff and penner have bad contracts and bad years no obe wants them ( including us) Hemsky is only 4.6m a year for four or five more years. TRADE BAIT
Your thoughts

Im not sure what to even say to this. Ya we need a goal scorer but trade hemsky and who the hell sets the goal scorer up?? I find it hard even writing this because it means im justifying this idiotic remark with a response. Later on hes says hes only good in the eyes of oilers fans. How about gretzky saying hes got the best hands in the NHL as well as another saying hes one of the best 1 on 1 players in the game and at only 4.1 for 3 more years you would be an imbecile to trade him. Ya he got frustrated last year can you blame him? It happens get over it. He wasnt bringing down other players he was ragging on himself saying he know he can do more for the team and wants to work harder. If everyone who ever got frustrated in the NHL were to be traded sportsnet and TSN would no longer be able to report on and other sport as there would be trades daily.

Does anyone know how many contracts the team has right now?? ... this is clearly the fashinoable "complaint of the day" The flexibility of having 1-2 open spots would be nice should the opportunity come up to grab a quality player on wiavers (like Bryz from a few years ago), but their is no benifit to having 4/5/6+ spots open... common people.

Q. How much has the style of play changed having to accommodate a different lineup than having all of your guys healthy?
COACH QUINN: Not a lot. We have, roughly, a system, a style of play. I’ve always liked to believe that I am not a demander; that you must be at Place X at a certain time. The system won’t control us. I’d like to think I allow the players to control their system. So when players come in, they have some freedoms. Less defensively when we lose the puck; maybe that’s why we’ve had some trouble because guys might confuse that freedom from offense to defense and think that they could have it all the time. But we are supposed to be a little more disciplined within our system of play and rely on others to do certain things at certain times when we don’t have the puck as for when we have the puck than when we do have the puck. Primarily we have not changed very much. I might have done a little line matching a little bit that I don’t do during the regular season, but philosophically, we have taken the same approach.

This is great stuff. Quinn allows more freedom on the ice than MacT ever did. The Oilers offense will be night and day compared to last year.

Q. How much has the style of play changed having to accommodate a different lineup than having all of your guys healthy?
COACH QUINN: Not a lot. We have, roughly, a system, a style of play. I’ve always liked to believe that I am not a demander; that you must be at Place X at a certain time. The system won’t control us. I’d like to think I allow the players to control their system. So when players come in, they have some freedoms. Less defensively when we lose the puck; maybe that’s why we’ve had some trouble because guys might confuse that freedom from offense to defense and think that they could have it all the time. But we are supposed to be a little more disciplined within our system of play and rely on others to do certain things at certain times when we don’t have the puck as for when we have the puck than when we do have the puck. Primarily we have not changed very much. I might have done a little line matching a little bit that I don’t do during the regular season, but philosophically, we have taken the same approach.
This is great stuff. Quinn allows more freedom on the ice than MacT ever did. The Oilers offense will be night and day compared to last year.

@ Ogden Brother:
Do you mean 1-way nhl contracts, or total organizational player contracts?
If it’s one-way nhl contracts, I think we are at 21. I couldn’t give you the other #, I think that is still tbd pending Schremp and Stone signing their rfa deals.